UAE: Emirates plane flies 13 hours only to land where it took off from
In a bizarre incident, after enduring a 13-hour plane ride, passengers onboard an Emirates plane reportedly landed right where they originally took off on Friday.
Flight EK448 took off from Dubai at around 10:30 am on Friday, but had to turn around after flying for 13 hours, covering nearly 4,000 miles.
The flight was en route Auckland that had shut its domestic and international terminals following heavy rain.
The Emirates plane was among others that faced disruptions, forcing the Auckland airport officials to respond. “Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today.
We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority,” the Auckland Airport said on Twitter.
Airport officials also said both domestic and international terminals would re-open on Sunday. Reports suggest that the Emirates flight is scheduled to re-attempt its journey to Auckland on Sunday.
A state of emergency was ordered in New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland. Torrential rains brought flooding and evacuations in the city home to around 1.6 million people. Four people have lost their lives in the flash floods.
Flood ravaged Auckland is expected to receive further heavy rain over the coming days, according to the city’s council.
The city has experience record levels of rainfall since Friday. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said in a tweet that Auckland has now recorded more than eight times its average January rainfall and 40% of its annual average rainfall.
